Threaded With Grey
by Buster's Jezebel
Summary: Rick and Carol find themselves and each other in the apocalyptic world they now live in. For readers who don't know me explicit SMUT will feature. I claim no ownership of The Walking Dead in anyway, shape or form. And please note this is a carry on piece from Black Beauty.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N - In case you haven't read the description, this is a carry-on from Black Beauty._

Chapter 1.

Fuck, the word keeps repeating in a loop in his brain. Last night he'd officially welcomed them as members of the group. And this is how they repay him? By taking off with Beth of all people? Fuck. He pushes the heel of his left hand against his forehead and just holds it there before he gives into the urge to simply smash it against something. His right hand is on the butt of his weapon clenched around the grip. Suddenly he feels someone behind him. He scents her like an animal before she rubs a hand down his back. She never goes lower than his belt but God sometimes alone in his cell at night he wishes she would. He loves her touch. "They'll be fine, she's not some breakable piece of china, Beth has come a long way. And Herschel said Merle checked with him first and he okayed it as long as Beth herself said yes." Her hand is rubbing circles in the small of his back. Her touch distracts him and calms him more than anything else. He leans back for a fraction of a second into it wishing she'd run her hands through his hair as well. He loves his hair being played with and it's been so damn long.

He sighs as he straightens, she mistakenly takes that to mean he wants her to stop touching him. But it is just the opposite, he never wants her to stop touching him. She draws her hand away and clasps her arms under her breasts. She doesn't have much cleavage but he'd never liked obvious on a woman. She was tall with legs that went on forever. He was definitely a leg man. And her hair, her hair was the most beautiful silver-grey, She was letting it grow out a bit. She mentioned one night when Beth had commented on it that Ed wasn't here to drag her around by it anymore so she'd try to keep it a bit longer. That comment had taken him a long time to get over. He'd wanted to go back to the quarry and dig up her dead husband and then just obliterate him until there was nothing left. He scrubs his hands over his face trying to bring himself back to the present. They'd left yesterday morning. Herschel had let them out and he had Daryl's keys. According to Herschel they were not expected back until late this afternoon at the earliest.

"I'm going to kill him and Daryl and Michonne when they get back" his words are hard but the tone is not, she has diffused him with her touch. Lori could never do that, she always had to talk him around, talk everything to death. By the end he was just so sick of talking. The guilt he felt at being critical of her was smothering. But he felt it less when Carol was near him. Rick was slowly coming to the realisation that he loved Lori, he would always love Lori, but he hadn't been in love with her for a long time. Well before he'd been shot and the world went to shit if he was being honest. He wondered if he saw her out of guilt. He had so much to be guilty about when it came to her. And Carl. And Judith he supposed because he certainly didn't do most of the parenting of her. He loved her as if she was his own but he already knew she wasn't his biologically. He hadn't told anyone that though. He didn't know if he ever would. He turned to her looking into her eyes. They were closer than they would be normally unless they were handing off Judith. Before he can think it through he takes one of her hands in his. Her eyes widen slightly before she looks down at his hand holding hers.

Rick doesn't know what he's doing. He needs her, this woman who has taken it upon herself to take care of him and his children without mothering them. This woman who has lost a husband and a daughter. How she got through that he couldn't fathom, especially Sophia. He was to blame for that and while she had had her moments, she didn't hate him. He thought she may even like him now. On the odd times they were truly alone together they always managed to share a laugh. They had the same sly, sarcastic, slightly mean sense of humour that couldn't be let out of the bag very often at the risk of offending people. He knew she'd appreciated his comments to Merle and Michonne about the shower because she'd had the same thoughts. Everyone else had been too busy being shocked but they were on the same page. He realises he's been staring at her for too long. He also realises she hasn't taken her hand back and she hasn't looked away from him. She is looking steadily back at him not having to look up as they're nearly the same height. He feels something brushing the edges of his mind, like she is willing him to think of something. Almost like she is willing him to catch up with something she has known for a while. But before he can focus on the thought Glenn shouts from the other guard tower. They're back.

He releases her hand and they start down the stairs together, he's walking a few steps in front of her and is about halfway down when he pauses looking behind him, he's sure he just heard her curse which surprises him as she is not one to do that as most of them do at some stage or another. She throws a smile at him as she catches up to him and then passes him. He shakes his head thinking he's imagined it. Herschel waves the flag as they hit the ground. All four of them have gotten out of the vehicle they've arrived back in and are waiting for permission to come forward.

Rick heads to the gate and lets them in. He steps into the back of the vehicle with Beth and Michonne. He looks at both taking in Beth's shadows under her eyes and his lips thin. Before he can say anything she forestalls him "Don't even think about it Daddy will have already told you it was my decision and it _was_ my decision. Trying to put any of this on them, any of them is a battle you and my sister will lose do you understand me?" He raises his eyebrows at her tone but says nothing. He thinks he'll reserve judgment until later. Rick says nothing in response but he watches Beth. As the vehicle comes to a stop she's up with her pack and a huge knife brushing past him to get out of the vehicle. Her chest grazes his as he opens the door for her. He hears her catch her breath and then she is gone.

He looks back at Michonne as she waits for him to exit the vehicle. But he doesn't say anything. No sooner is he out of the vehicle than Maggie is attacking Michonne before he can intervene Beth and Maggie are going at it. He starts to step forward when Carol lays a hand on his arm. She shakes her head at him when he looks back at her. He watches them fight amazed at Beth's fury. He's never seen her show anything like it, he'd never even knew she had a temper, let alone a violent one. He is so absorbed in watching them that he is as shocked as everyone else when Daryl throws the water over the two of them. And he is even more shocked when Beth attacks Daryl. But he seems to expect it swinging her around and dumping her on the ground and following her down so she can't do any more damage. He tells them to leave but of course no one does "Fuck off!" his words leave no doubt now that he wants everyone to leave. Rick still hesitates even though Herschel doesn't and neither do Merle and Michonne. Carol however takes his arm pulling him inside. He follows them inside passing Herschel and catching up to Merle and Michonne inside "You two, explain where the hell you went and what you fucking did right now."

Merle sighs as he puts his pack down on the stairs. He scrubs his left hand over his face before scratching his scalp. He leans back on the railing of the stairs "I knew he'd double-cross you, even if you were planning on trying to give my woman up, he'd do it for the hell of it. And unlike you I know him well enough to know there is no 'peaceful' solution. So we took care of him and his men. Whoever is left isn't going to fight. The town is either ripe for the taking or for you to bring them here and set them up. Whatever the fuck you want. Or you can just forget about them and try to get on with your life and your family here." He nods at Carl as he says this which infuriates Rick.

"I'm the leader of this group, it was my decision to make, if you can't accept that then you can't be part of his group. Can you accept it? Both of you? Can you accept me being in charge and making decisions that you may not agree with? If you can't then you need to leave and to be honest I think the rest of us need to vote on whether we let you stay. What you did could have backfired and gotten Beth killed, gotten us all killed." Rick takes a breath. He knows if the group votes for them to leave that Daryl will go with them. He doesn't want that to happen but his leadership can't be challenged every time he turns around. He runs his hands through is hair as he looks over at Herschel. Herschel shrugs. It's his decision whether they vote on them leaving. "Okay we'll vote tonight, if you want to stay the group has to accept you and what you just did. I know you did it for us but you should have brought it to the table for discussion."

Merle looks at him "'For discussion'" he make a quote mark with his left hand at the words. "You just finished sayin' that you're in fuckin' charge and how you're lettin' the group do the dirty work of evictin' us." His accent is getting thicker with every word he speaks. "No that ain't the way leadership works Officer Friendly, if you're in charge then you gotta' make the hard decision and if we go then we go on your orders, not the groups." He stands there waiting for Rick to answer.

Before he can however Michonne speaks "You sat in this room two nights ago and made us part of this group. Before we left and did what needed to be done. Let me ask you this. If Glenn and Maggie and Carol had come with us or been the ones to make the decision we just did and follow through with it would you be thinking of evicting them?" She stops talking waiting for him to answer. But she knows he doesn't have to. His answer is written all over his face. He wouldn't. He'd be supremely pissed at them, angry for days and may give them shit job after shit job but he wouldn't even think of evicting them. She turns and heads up the stairs knowing they're staying. She hears Merle pick up his pack and fall in behind her.

Rick wonders when he'd become so freaking dumb. Shaking his head at himself he heads in to pick up Judith from where she has begun fussing thanks to his stupidly raising his voice. Carol comes in after him but he shakes his head "I'll take her for a walk outside, I need to get out of here for a bit I think," She shrugs and walks away toward the kitchen. Rick stares after for an instant before shaking his head and heading outside. He sends a wave to Carl in the tower and gives Daryl and Beth a wide berth as he decides to walk the perimeter.

He takes his time humming to Jude as he does so. It's over two hours later when he's heading back in. He sees Beth and Daryl are still there but moving, he frowns as he looks at them but suddenly Daryl is up and off Beth. She speaks to him then she is up herself and moving toward the entrance. Daryl heads off to do whatever it is he does and Rick meanders inside. Jude is asleep in his arms so he places her in her cot sitting down on his bunk he shakes his head at how the day has gone. He rests with her for some time before getting up to go out again. He passes Michonne as she heads to the showers and realises Merle is heading after her as he talks to Daryl. He decides to wait for Merle and bite the bullet and see where it takes them. So he leans against the wall, he and Daryl turn to look up at the landing and Rick follow their gazes. His jaw drops as he watches Beth put on a performance worthy of a stripper without taking off a shred of clothing. She makes him half hard. He stares at the spot she'd been standing in before he realises Merle is standing there in front of him. He wonders if anything happened between them while they were away and then decides he doesn't want to know but, whether she realised it or not Daryl had staked a claim with that display over her temper before. And so had Beth with that display she'd just given. She hadn't been looking at anyone but Daryl then. "I never saw them coming" he says to Merle as he comes abreast.

He shakes his head as he adjusts himself. God that little stunt has made him realise how long it had been since he's had the pleasure of a woman himself. He shakes his head again as he thinks he'll be on his own in that department for a long time to come. But he looks at Merle "I apologise for what I said before. It was wrong of me to try to evict you because you did something that needed doing. Something I couldn't have done. Tomorrow when you've had a good night's sleep I'd like your opinion about what you think we should do regarding the town." He nods at Merle and starts to walk off before turning back and saying with a grin "Enjoy your shower now you hear?" He chuckles as he turns back around to head to the kitchen to torture himself some more with what else he couldn't have.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The talk between Rick and Merle doesn't happen. Early the next morning Rick is woken by Maggie's hand on his shoulder. He shakes away sleep as he looks at her pale face. "Company at the gates." She doesn't need to say anymore. He throws back the blankets not caring that Maggie sees his morning hard on. They've all seen each other naked since the farm was lost at one time or another. Hell he hears her and Glenn a few times a week having sex, and he's had the pleasure of seeing them at it too. Not that he thinks about it, he has his own fantasy and they don't feature in it. He drags on his jeans pushing his cock inside and buttoning up. Maggie is standing back at the cell door now. Rick grabs his belt tossing it to her as he grabs his boots in his hand and jacket in the other, he strides outside the cell tossing Maggie the jacket as he shoves his feet one step at a time into his boots without losing pace. Then he takes the holster buckling it on and finally grabs his jacket as well. It is bitingly cold outside, the wind is whistling today. Daryl is at the internal gate.

"Andrea and the dude in glasses," He says as he hears Rick move up behind him. "Some others too, don't look like no threat but there maybe more in the trees." He is careful to keep Rick behind him as he unlocks the gate and they start down walking slowly. Andrea is simply standing there with the man …. Milton, Rick finally remembers his name beside her. As he gets closer he realises that Milton is hanging by a thread and looks to have been beaten within an inch of his life. Andrea herself looks to have been beaten as well though nowhere near as badly.

"Maggie, get Merle and Michonne too," Rick continues to walk toward the gate slow and steady as he hears Maggie turn and start jogging back. Merle had lived in Woodbury and Michonne knew Andrea as she was now, not how she'd been.

He and Daryl halt at the external gate. This close they can see how badly Milton has been beaten. The man looks like he's going to die at any moment, the pallor of his skin, "You been bit?" Rick questions as something clicks in his brain.

Andrea answers for him however "No, I got it in time but he's got internal damage, should be in bed but insisted on coming," She looks over at him "If you die on me Milton," She trails off looking at Rick, "I was hoping Herschel would take a look at him while we're here. We're here to talk peace." Her words drop like a bombshell between them.

"Thank you for killing him, we could not have done that." Milton's voice is weak, barely more than a whisper and Rick realises that the Governor is the one who beat him.

"What kind of peace you talkin' 'bout?" Daryl is blunt at his side. Rick hears fast footsteps on gravel behind him as he sighs.

He tells Daryl to organise a vehicle of theirs for Milton to be transported to the prison in, he doesn't want their vehicles inside the gates. Then he motions everyone inside as Daryl talks to Michonne. They've brought maybe a dozen people with them including Tyrese and Sasha. "You, Milton and four others can come up, the rest of you stay here and wait." Rick turns on his heel trusting Daryl to watch his back which he does. He spies Carol up in the guard tower with an automatic rifle and stifles himself. He wants to do nothing more than tell her to get inside and put her head down. Michonne comes back down in the Hyundai and they get Milton inside and she takes off driving slowly toward the complex to where Herschel is waiting. He watches them help Milton out and inside as they walk back themselves.

"What peace you talkin' about then Andrea?" He looks over at her as they walk. She looks down at the ground as they move forward.

"I don't know Rick but we've got to do something, we can't continue on this way, you killed a lot of people yesterday. I know why you did and I get that but we have to get past it, people in Woodbury lost loved ones." Rick snorts and shakes his head, does she think they haven't? Has she forgotten about Amy, her own sister? In the next breath he realises the difference, Woodbury were not aware of how the world was these days. To them Rick and his family were the monsters, not the Walkers.

"Don't know that we want anything to do with you and your town Andrea, you ain't really got anything we want and I know damn well we ain't got anything you want either, so I figure if we leave each other in peace we should be able to co-exist fine enough." Rick stops talking as they come to the entrance of the prison. Carol has come out to the landing of the guard tower. She is looking down at Rick not even being subtle about it. The thought he'd had in his brain yesterday teased his mind again but Andrea putting her hand on his forearm sends it off into the ether this time. He watches Carol's look turn into a frown before he looks at Andrea. "What?" He asks as he shakes off her hand. He's never liked her touching him.

"Want, no. Need, yes." Andrea is firm in her response.

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She harasses him into sitting down and talking. Offers terms, a treaty. He senses Milton's thoughts behind a lot of the common sense stuff, Andrea has always had great ideas but Rick has never seen her have follow through, except with a weapon. Which is not to say she doesn't have it; just that he hasn't seen it.

Later that evening Rick calls a meeting in the guard tower so those on watch can attend and get a vote as well. "Andrea has offered us a place in Woodbury, houses, work to keep the town going. Milton confirms her offer. We'd be behind those walls, in theory we'd be safer than we are here." Rick stops there. He already knows he won't be going and while he wants the group to stay with him he recognises they have to decide this for themselves. "We don't need to vote on this, if you want to go, then you should go. I've already discussed it with Carl and we're not going. We want to stay here or find somewhere else close by so we can still see each other but we're not going to that town. Neither of us would feel comfortable there. And I think you should be aware that the people in that town have been protected, they don't know what it's like beyond those walls. To them we'll be invaders, foreigners simply because we've survived where they most likely wouldn't have." He stops speaking, letting what he said sink in. He notices Merle and Michonne look at each other communicating without words, they look back at him.

"We'll be stayin' put" Merle puts his left hand on Michonne's thigh and she puts hers on top of it. They're staying. Rick breathes a little easier.

"Ain't never lived in a town in my life, ain't gonna start now," Is all Daryl has to say on the matter.

Glenn and Maggie are looking at each other also communicating without words. Herschel looks over at them before looking at Beth. "Bethie?" He asks with a question.

Beth looks over at her father. She knows that he'd be better off in Woodbury despite the fact that she loathes the thought of leaving this group, her family. And she thinks of what advantages she'd have if she were there. She looks around at the group. Her eyes land on Daryl. She knows there is no decision for her to make, "Stay." She looks at her father as she says this. She is expecting him to disagree but he surprises her by smiling and nodding approvingly.

"Stay," Herschel repeats her word.

Glenn and Maggie look at each other again before saying in unison "Stay."

Carol looks at everyone as well, her eyes linger on Rick and Carl as she rocks Judith. She smiles in approval as well before repeating that one word again herself. "Stay."

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Months slip by. Rick, Daryl and Merle along with the rest of the group work as winter hits them. They hash out terms with Woodbury, terms that are profitable to both. The prison becomes more of a home. Rick has realised it's not right, even the way the world is now, they shouldn't be living here. There has to be a place they can fortify, smaller but with room for expansion in case they took in new people. Tyrese and Sasha were already making hints about joining them as were another couple that Daryl was teaching to hunt. That was part of their deal. Woodbury had to be taught how to survive, how to be self-sufficient. Rick thought it was ironic that the people sent here to learn survival from them didn't want to back. He wondered if it was a portent of things to come.

Of course it hadn't all gone easily. Woodbury had balked initially, it had taken smooth talking on the part of Milton, Andrea and surprisingly Merle for the treaty to be finalised. They got medicines, clothing, baby stuff. But for the most part Woodbury was getting stuff from them. Not that they couldn't spare the knowledge but, Rick had taken a long time to decide that he wasn't going to look for other's anymore. If they found then fine, but they weren't going looking. He knew it was more than likely the wrong thing what with the young people they had, especially Carl and Beth and Judith. No, he thought, not Beth. Beth had Daryl. He wondered what they were doing with each other these days. He barely saw them speak but they sure did watch each other when the other wasn't looking.

He stretches on his bunk pointing his toes and working out the kinks in his legs then straightening his hands in the air and circling his wrists. He's feeling relaxed. It's been a good winter, well as good a winter as one can get these days. But he's glad spring is beginning to hit them. He remembers the group meeting last night, Beth saying they needed to hit a library, they needed to learn to be fully self-sufficient. She wanted to learn about herbs and such to use for medicinal purposes. Herschel had been teaching her and Carol all winter about everything medical he knew, they all needed to multi-skill so they'd all taken some lessons in stitching, setting bones etc but Carol and Beth were the ones who were going to continue on the full medical training. It's a good idea, the knowledge she wants. Rick wonders about the prison library, in all their searching they'd never found it but surely the prison had one? He resolved to make finding it a priority.

He needed to get onto giving Carl more education as well. He'd object of course but Rick was trying to think ahead, it would be a special person in a generation or two who would read and write, he wanted to instill the importance of that in Carl so he'd ensure it continued on beyond his own generation. If he survived. Rick's thoughts blacken and he deliberately brushes them off thinking instead of the laugh he'd shared with Carol tonight on watch. He'd started scheduling his evening watch with her looking forward to her company. And not because he enjoyed watching Daryl and Beth circle each other like two cats in heat when they had watch together. That would be just sick of him to look forward to their hissing and spitting at each other. Secretly he was hoping to catch them at it one night when he and Carol took over from them but for the last months he'd been severely disappointed. They were staying far away from each other despite the time the spent in each other's proximity. If nothing else Beth passed him several times a day when she went up and down to her cell.

No one else had moved up onto the first level all preferring to stay on the ground level cells. Besides Merle and Michonne weren't exactly quiet but it never seemed to bother Beth. Or Daryl now that Rick thought about it. Mind you they'd been listening to Glenn and Maggie for the better part of two years now so they were probably immune to the sounds of someone having sex within their hearing. Having that thought in his brain was causing Rick to think about sex in regard to himself. It had been a long time. And God he missed it. He never thought he'd say that but he missed the connection, emotional and physical. But he didn't want one without the other anymore and that wasn't happening. So he'd be making do with his own hand for a very long time. As these thoughts flit through his head he snakes a hand underneath his blankets. He's sleeping in his clothes as it's a cool night but he's undone his pants and taken off his belt for some comfort.

Before he goes any further Rick stops and listens to the sounds he can hear in the cell block. Herschel's soft snores. The snuffles and snorts from Carl's cell indicating he's dead to the world and dreaming. Elsewhere soft breathing. Judith whimpering in her cot against the opposite wall. Normal sounds for this time of night. Bringing his other hand under the blankets he quickly undoes his shirt buttons pushing it open. He rubs both hands over his chest, cruising his fingers through his chest hair before brushing them over his nipples. His breath hisses out on a sigh as he does this and they become erect. . Rick then pinches them lightly and feels a corresponding jerk from his cock. His eyes flutter as he leans his head back arching his neck. God but it would be good if it were someone else doing this to him. His mind supplies a face placing them beside him on the bunk. They're leaning over him as they run a hand down to his cock pulling it gently from his pants. They rub their palm over it softly bringing it to hardness before they smile wickedly down at him and inch down in the bed to take it in their mouth.

Rick groans softly as he thinks of this happening to him while his own hand takes his cock from his pants. His left hand fondles his balls, his nails scratch them lightly as his right grasps his cock tugging on it gently. He strokes his fingers up and down his length then lightly scratches his nails up and down it as well. He moans this time, still softly but loud enough to catch the attention of someone a few cells away. They still in their own bunk as they listen to his self-pleasuring sounds. Their own hands suddenly rustle under their covers heading south as they listen to the heavier breathing and now muffled moans coming from Rick's cell. They push under their own trousers into their panties as they slide their fingers inside themselves. They're already wet from having talked to him earlier this evening and playing with themselves thinking about that had already given them one orgasm.

Back in his own cell Rick is still stoking his cock to fruition. His breathing has deepened and moans are coming softly from his mouth muffled by the towel he's biting down on to keep him silent. It doesn't work but it reduces his noise level or so he thinks. He feels his balls tighten, drawing up. His back arches slightly off the bed, his head falls back on his neck exposing it vulnerably. And he comes, his semen splattering lightly over his pants and sheets. He lays there for several minutes allowing his heart rate and breathing to settle. Thinking of her while he masturbated always gave him a satisfying orgasm.

In the other cell breathing settles as well. They'd managed to bring themselves to orgasm at the same time Rick did which always made it good. It was only a couple of other times they'd heard him and were also in a position to do the same thing.

Rick cleaned himself up along with his clothing and sheets. Then he folded the towel he used and placed it back in its usual spot under his mattress at the head of the bed. He'd have to wash it one day soon when he went to the showers, it was getting stiff and smelly but tonight he just shoves it under the mattress before rolling on his side and puling the sheets and blankets up over his shoulders and head burying himself under them and falling asleep with that face in his mind.

A/N - And so begins the smut...more is coming readers, more is coming.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Carol stretches in her bunk before she gets up for the day. She has breakfast duty. It's easier now they have the treaty with Woodbury, they have more supplies. Turns out Glenn has a good hand for baking bread so he does that first thing and she usually does breakfast then takes Judith duty. She smiles when she thinks of Judith. The child is truly a delight. She has not been able to stop herself from falling in love with her. She is sure Sophia would approve of her doing so, in fact would have fallen in love with her too. She is relaxed from last night, her two orgasms had been wonderful. It was rare she got to hear Rick, rarer still that she could manage to get herself off at the same time. As she dresses Carol wishes he was laying in the bunk behind her, asleep from having her and not a few cells away asleep from having sex with his own hand. She decides to take laundry duty from Beth today, it's what she calls her 'me' time. No one bother's her and it's a job she can do without thinking. And she can surround herself with Rick's smell doing his clothes last.

She manages breakfast on auto-pilot, organizing the preparation for lunch at the same time. When Beth comes in with her hair in a tangle Carol smiles. "I'll take laundry today Beth, I need some me time, you okay to watch Jude?" Beth nods as she sits down to breakfast. Carol smiles at her hair, she's never seen the girl with good hair in the morning. It's quite a fright. She remembers seeing it for the first time and being shocked at its sheer rat's next quality. When she dresses she fights the tangles out of it each time before she pulls it back in some way. But she can't sleep with it pulled back, it gives her a headache. Brushing a hand over it trying to flatten it unsuccessfully Carol snorts at it.

"Don't worry, ain't like someone's gonna see me Carol." Beth shakes her hand away with a smile that has a sarcastic tinge to it. Carol smiles herself as she turns away. She doesn't want Beth with just anyone anyway. It'll take a special and strong person to handle the strength and fragility that is Beth. She can think only of one person who fits that bill. And she's going to kick him up the backside if he doesn't get a move on. Just like she should kick Rick she thinks. But with her next breath she realises she can't. Lori who had been her friend has only been dead just on a year. Rick still loves her, even if he uses his hand to bring himself off at night, he still loves Lori. Or so she thinks.

Sometime later Carol has taken care of breakfast and the resulting dishes, she starts with the upstairs first, Merle, Michonne, Beth, Daryl. Downstairs she gathers clothes as she goes. Even though it's impractical she leaves Rick's cell until last. Laundry isn't me time for her, its Rick time. The best thing about it is getting to touch Rick by association. She can touch him where she wants, imagining she is touching him while the clothes are still on him. His thighs encased in the pants she now holds in her hands. With a sigh she puts them in the basket and starts stripping his cot. As she yanks the bottom sheet it catches and drags the mattress up as well dislodging something underneath. Carol puts the sheet in the basket and then grabs what she's dislodged seeing it's a towel. She goes to put it in the basket when its smell reaches her and she gasps before she can help herself.

She's holding Rick in her hands. Or rather his come-stained towel. She'd always wondered how he kept his clothes clean, doing the washing there were no secrets. She knew what each man used to wipe themselves down with except Rick. And now she knew why. She assumed he washed it himself at times and she could feel it sorely needed it now. Before she can stop herself she has raised it to her face inhaling deeply. Her pussy floods at his smell. It is woodsy and bitter and oh so very sexy. She wishes she was sucking it from his cock. The faintest of moans comes from her throat. She wants to taste it coming directly from him in the worst way. She hears footsteps outside and before she realises what she is doing she has thrown the towel into the basket with the other clothing. Glenn walks past greeting her on his way back to bed. Carol nods as she takes the basket to the cart dumping it in with all the other dirty clothes.

She is in the laundry washing everything, most of it pegged on the lines they've rigged. She has one thing left. The towel. Before she does anything she shuts and bars the door. Then she takes the towel with her to the cot she sometimes uses when she's here to nap or do what she's about to do. She doesn't take off her clothes, but as she lays down the un-hooks her bra. Leaving the towel on her chest for Rick's scent to waft up to her each time she breaths she slips her hands under her shirt palming her breasts before she tweaks the nipples. Her eyes flutter closed as she imagines Rick doing this to her. His smell is making it easier to imagine him leaning over her. That piercing look that he gets concentrated wholly on her, on what he is doing to her. She groans as she pinches her nipples thinking of him kissing and sucking at them. She wonders if there is any part of him like Merle in that he'd mark a woman where other's would see. Michonne almost always has some mark on her somewhere. She wants that. She wants to have a mark put on her by a man who cares enough to do it with love, not hate.

Her hands move from her breasts down her body, one taking the towel with her. She pushes her pants and underwear down exposing herself to the cool air. But she is not cool, when she strokes a finger inside herself she can feel how warm and wet she is. Rick makes her this way. No other man could ever make her feel this way. One finger has become 2 and she is rubbing the towel over herself as well. Two fingers become three and she has left the towel sitting here on her as her other fingers rub in small circular motions on her clit. God, she wishes Rick were doing this with her, or for her. She wants him to fill her like her own fingers never can. Her orgasm slides upon her without warning today, the smell of Rick being a catalyst. She lies there for several minutes allowing her heartbeat to return to normal before she gets up straightening her clothing and re-hooking her bra. She washes Rick's towel hanging it to dry as she starts to remove the already dry clothing.

Later that night she is having dinner when he comes in himself. He glances at her and then away with a quick smile she returns before he does so. They don't have watch tonight but they do tomorrow night. She's wondering if she'll be blessed with a repeat performance of last night as she grins at Daryl and Beth spitting at each other. She knows Rick has partnered them together on purpose. They both get a kick out of their shenanigans. Merle and Michonne seem to as well as they're leaning back and sharing a private smile with each other before snorting in laughter at Beth's comment to Daryl about his shaggy hair. His response being a dig at her rat's nest bed head of a morning earns him a hiss before she is up taking dishes into the kitchen. She pointedly leaves Daryl's untouched. As he goes to leave Carol shakes her head and points at them and then the kitchen. He narrows his eyes at her and she can see him weighing up ignoring her command. But he is wise and he takes them into the kitchen where Beth is clattering the dishes as she washes them.

"When the fuck is he gonna jump her and be done with it do you think?" She is surprised by Rick suddenly straddling the bench beside her as he chuckles at the raised voices coming from the kitchen now.

"In his own time Cop, not till he's good 'n ready and that girl is danglin' like a fish on a hook." Merle answers him from the next table. But he is grinning as he speaks, "'course you and I saw she's got plenty of piss 'an vinegar in her, she's gonna make him work for her arse. But one thing Daryl ain't afraid of is hard work."

Michonne snorts at his words, "More like he's gonna be dangling like a fish on a hook, she is reeling him in whether he wants her to or not, girls got skills. And she knows your brother inside and out. Knows how to push his buttons. Listen to them." All four of them listen to the yelling and dishes banging. None of them could hear the words, just the yelling. All of a sudden there is silence and they all look toward the kitchen but nothing else happens only the dishes being moved again, this time with less force. Daryl comes out walking toward the stairs. Carol knows he's deliberately not looking in their direction as she knows he's fully aware they're watching him. He's a hunter after all. She smiles to herself thinking Beth won this round. Michonne laughs and agrees with her making her realise she'd spoken aloud.

"Wonder if Herschel knows?" Rick is musing out loud as Daryl stomps up the stairs, he's trying to keep the conversation going so Carol will stay just that bit longer.

"He ain't dumb, he knows." Merle stretches his arms above his head as Michonne murmurs an agreement.

"I agree, he has to know. She hasn't been what you would call subtle about the way she warns off Woodbury women when they come here or he goes there. Plus she makes sure she's always with him when he does go there." Carol notes. She knows Beth spoke to Rick about accompanying them when they went to Woodbury as she'd talked to her about it. And Rick had mentioned it to her.

"I guess so, seems like he must approve then if he ain't spoken to Daryl." Rick answers her back. It is just the four of them sitting quietly there now. She has noticed of late the four of them seem to do this at least a couple of times a week. They have been for some months now. It's a friendship of sorts between them. Rick and Merle finding some common ground. It's almost like a double date she realises. And with that realisation she remembers it is Rick who usually instigates the conversations, who usually comes in as they're nearly ready to leave and starts talking causing the three of them to stick around just that little bit longer.

"Merle and I were talking about making another run to the quarry and through the town as well, you two should come with us. Do you both good to get away. Place will be in good hands with Daryl and Glenn." Michonne speaks casually without looking at either Carol or Rick. Carol narrows her eyes at her but she has her head down playing with Merle's left hand. Merle himself is looking at nothing in particular as he agrees with her.

"Actually that sounds like a good idea, I know the salt is running low what with the extra game we're bringing back now." Rick turns to Carol with a quizzical look, "You game for a road trip?" Carol looks over at him, his piercing eyes, stubbled face and that wonderfully curly hair he just combed straight back from his forehead these days giving him a hawk-like appearance.

"Road trip sounds nice actually." It sounds amazing since she knows Merle won't drive with Rick and Michonne will of course drive with Merle. So she and Rick will be driving together. "It sounds really nice, time for me to turn in." She stands saying goodnight to the three of them as she heads to her cell. A frown flits across her face as she turns away. Is she imagining things or did Rick seem disappointed she was leaving? She shakes her head as she removes her clothes putting on what she wears as pyjamas these days. She is already in bed when she hears Rick's footsteps heading to his cell a couple down from her. "Night Rick." She calls out softly. She hears him answer her in return.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Rick strips down completely. He's not on watch tonight so can afford to get naked. And it feels good to slide between clean sheets. He lies on his back with his hands behind his head. He smells himself and thinks he should take a shower but he's just too damn tired. He can hear Carol settling down and very faintly he hears Merle and Michonne laughing together. Their laughter punctuated now and then by a moan or sigh. Rick nearly sighs with them feeling tonight of all nights like a voyeur. It usually doesn't bother him but he usually wasn't lying in bed naked with a woman he wanted lying a few rooms away fully awake herself.

He closes his eyes as he feels his cock begin to move. He lets it grow erect on its own without any touching. He simply listens and thinks, wanting the noises to be Carol responding to his caresses. He reaches a hand under the mattress for his towel thinking he really needs to wash it soon and his fingers grasp nothing. What? He sits up in bed grabbing the mattress to raise it up. The towel is there, not where he puts it though. It's on the other side of the mattress folded into a neat square. And it's clean. Rick sits on the side of the bed holding it in his hands. His hard-on has deflated like a balloon. Beth was on laundry duty today. She'd found his towel. She'd not only found his towel she'd washed it and put it back. He brought it to his face inhaling the clean scent. A frown flitted across his face. It also smelled female. Shaking his head at his own musings Rick put it back in its usual spot before rolling on his side. His urge to come had gone with the discovery of the towel. Beth did not turn him on in the slightest. Feeling frustrated Rick slides into sleep.

Carol wakes him in the morning in his cell with Jude. She lifts her from the cot as Rick wakes up. He scrubs the sleep from his face not remembering as he sits up that he had slept naked. He's about to throw the covers back when he realises he has nothing on under them and stills his hand at his hip leaving himself partly exposed. He looks up to Carol to apologise only to find her staring at his naked hip. Jude is moving in her arms but Carol is not responding. Rick's eyes sharpen as he sees she is breathing fast and her breasts, or at least the one not covered by his daughter has an erect nipple staring at him impudently. Is Carol aroused? He's about to ask her, make some query when Beth and Daryl yelling at each other again interrupt his thoughts. They both glance over out of the cell and the mood is broken. But Rick won't forget it. He resolves to speak to her tonight when they're on watch.

As soon as Carol leaves he is up and dressing. He feels energy moving through him and knows it's because of Carol that he feels this way. The thought she may feel the same way has never entered his mind prior to this morning. Why would she want the man who was responsible for the death of her daughter? Rick decides not to question, to second-guess as he is prone to. Instead he is going to hope he saw what he thinks he did this morning. He'll wait until this evening when they're on watch before he broaches it with her. He needs to let the thought that she may reciprocate settle in his brain. He could be wrong, but if he isn't, well he needs to let the thought settle or he'll fuck what could potentially be something sideways before he knows where he is.

Eating breakfast Rick finds himself beside a pissed off Beth as she stares at the edged weapons that are on the table in front of her with a sharpener. "Daryl is right Beth, you need to learn how to take care of your weapon fully, not just to defend yourself with it." Rick nearly winces at the glare she levels at him, her hair makes her seem even more scary. He remembers her shocking display of temper months ago when she had fought her sister before Daryl had stopped her. He remembers she was beating the living shit out of Maggie until Daryl stopped her. He vaguely wonders if she's going to attack him although he'd only been trying to help.

"Remember what I said Brat." The words tossed at Beth over Daryl's shoulder as he walks past with his crossbow slung over his shoulder. He doesn't even look at Beth as he walks past. Beth turns her murderous gaze on Daryl and Rick breathes a sigh of relief. He feels extremely stupid but he's afraid of her temper. Especially with those knives on the table in front of her. Before she can leave to get dressed Rick needs to thank her.

Clearing his throat he says "I appreciate you doing all of my laundry yesterday Beth," He's going to continue but she levels him with a look that reminds him of Herschel. It is quiet, powerful and intelligent.

"I didn't do the laundry yesterday, Carol took it. She says it's her 'me' time." She is up and away before he can reply. Carol did the laundry? Carol washed his towel and put it back? Suddenly Rick wants to find Carol and talk to her. No not talk to her, he wants her. He wants her now. Before he can do anything Glenn tells him Andrea and Milton are here for their weekly meeting. They alternate weeks. One week they go there, the next week like this one they come here. Rick's lips thin as he realises it's unlikely he'll be able to speak to Carol again today at all. At least until they're on watch tonight. And maybe it's for the best. Fuck knows if he'd keep his head on straight if he went to her now.

Later that evening at dinner he sits with Herschel and Daryl as he mentions the trip with Merle, Michonne and Carol. They agree it'll do the two of them good to get away for a couple of days. In fact Herschel tells him they should deliberately take their time. If they leave tomorrow they don't even have to be back for a week as the meeting took place today. Rick agrees and goes to find Merle and Michonne to see if they're agreeable to leave in the morning. They won't leave too early as they're only going to the town on the first day; that will give he and Carol time to get some sleep after their watch tonight. Rick decides to tell her then that they're leaving in the morning. He heads into his cell to try to get some rest but knows it's useless. He packs a change of clothes for tomorrow, cleans his revolver and the rifle and then it's time for watch. He hadn't seen Carol anywhere that day but he knows she usually makes herself scarce when Woodbury come around, he doesn't know why though. He walks slowly up the stairs to the tower hearing murmuring coming from inside. It's Carol and Beth. Daryl is doing a sweep. He says goodnight to Beth as she leaves and he is then facing Carol.

She smiles at him as she usually does. Nothing out of the ordinary in her eyes but he thinks she maybe doesn't keep eye contact with him as long as she normally would. And she is fidgeting which she doesn't do. Rick goes to speak but is interrupted by Daryl coming back. He heads inside and Rick wonders when he is going to claim Beth. But he doesn't wonder long. Tonight he's wondering about himself making a claim. "Turns out I thanked the wrong person for doing my washing yesterday." His words are soft and he says them to the side of her head as she's looking into the distance. He is watching her like the hawk she sometimes thinks he is and he sees her breath pause before she starts breathing again, slightly faster than before.

"It needed washing." It's all she says, noncommittal. He would think if he hadn't seen her this morning that she was just being her usual self. But he remembers that nipple poking at him when he'd nearly flashed her as she'd woken Jude.

Rick is going crazy wondering if he's making the right decision, wondering in Carol does really feel the same way or whether she'd just been like that because he was a man, any man and he'd been naked. No, with his next breath he realises she has seen them all at one point or another in some form of nakedness. It was him being naked in front of her, it had to be. Before he loses his nerve he takes the two steps toward her that he needs to, reaching out and grasping her arm to turn her toward him. She looks at him levelly like she always does. Still running on instinct he slides both hands up her arms, over her shoulders and up her neck until he's clasping her face in his hands. She isn't looking level anymore, she is looking slightly shocked and very eager. He wasn't wrong, she does want him. A knot he hadn't realised he'd had in his chest loosened as her eyes fluttered closed. He leaned his head in. Pausing for an infinitesimal moment, just long enough for her to open her eyes again in puzzlement before he placed his lips on hers as soft as a feather. He stayed like that for the longest time, looking at her looking back at him. Both of them breathing irregularly. Just as he is going to pull away Carol's control breaks, still looking at Rick she puts her arms around him, sliding them into his back pockets, grasping his backside. She then pulls him into her so she can feel all of his hard length along her. She groans into Rick's mouth shutting her eyes as she opens her mouth under his in blatant invitation. Rick accepts on a groan himself as his tongue explodes into Carol's mouth sweeping past hers, exploring every part of her he can reach. She is doing the same to him.

They start a lazy duel with their tongues as she flexes those wonderfully strong hands of hers on his arse. Rick feels his cock grinding against Carol and wants nothing more than to sink it into her as far and as hard as he can. He slides his hands around the back of her neck and down her spine scratching lightly with his nails as he goes causing her to shiver and push her hips further into him. He slides his own hands over her narrow hips before touching her wonderfully shaped backside as he's wanted to do for a long time. He skims his palms over it softly causing a hitch in her breathing before she flexes her hands on his backside in return. Rick slides one hand up her back again while the other strays under her trousers and panties sliding down the crack of her butt. Carol breaks away from kissing him her head falling back on her neck on a groan as her buttock cheeks clench around his finger. Rick smiles at her. She is no longer calm and collected or slyly amused. She is coming apart in his arms so beautifully. He wants nothing more than to lay her down on the floor and take her until they're both spent.

A modicum of sense returns, he knows they cannot. But he also knows he cannot go without her anymore. Now he knows she wants him in return he will stop at nothing to have her. Suddenly he is thankful they're leaving tomorrow, they'll be able to be together without everyone in the place knowing their business from the beginning. But he can't wait until then either. Before he can do anything Carol has slithered out of his arms and is down kneeling on the floor in front of him. "Carol, what…no. I want," His words choke off as she has undone his trousers and taken him into her mouth. He was already hard but she makes him harder, his cock is dripping on her tongue. She laps at him as she keeps just the head in her mouth until she has cleaned his pre-come off and then looking up at him so he can see the moonlight shining over her face, see her lips stretched around his bloated cock and see the desire for him in her eyes. Only when he has seen her like that does she close her own eyes and slowly encase him in her wet mouth.

Rick slides down Carol's throat as if she was swallowing water. He feels like liquid in her throat. Her nose is nestled in his pubic hair, his hands are now grasping her hair keeping her in place, not that she is going anywhere. She hums around him the vibrations causing Rick to shiver in her mouth. No one has done that to him before. And then she swallows. Rick cannot stop himself from coming straight down her throat like a teenager. He is aghast but so very thankful that he's finally with Carol he can't be embarrassed for long. Carol swallows around him again causing him to release into her mouth. Each time she swallows he releases a load of come down her throat. Until she swallows and he simply jerks she does not move in any other way.

Slowly she slides her mouth up and off his cock. Her tongue licks at him all the way making sure she misses none of his come. When she releases his cock from her mouth he groans as he looks at her. Her lips are swollen, wet and pink. The moonlight shining across her face making her whole face glow. Before she can do anything other than smile at him he is kneeling too. Rick mock-frowns at her before putting his hands under her shoulders and pushing her up to her feet. His look is lecherous in the extreme as she smiles down at him wiping a thumb over her bottom lip making sure she has left none of his come behind.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"My turn." He pushes her hips back until she is leaning on the bench in the room and keeping eye contact he unbuckles her belt, unzips and opens her pants. They fall to the ground leaving her in some faded white panties, boy-leg. He snorts at her in them. They suit her somehow.

He feels her hand on his face before she grips his chin pulling him up to meet her eyes again. "You have a problem with my underwear?" Her tone is wry, mocking. He knows she'll give him hell no matter what he says so he's honest.

"Only because they're keeping me from seeing you." Her eyes flare at his words. She lets him go and puts her hands behind her using them to hitch herself up on the bench so her legs are dangling off it. Still looking at him she widens them.

"Guess you'd better do something about it then…..Cop." She uses Merles derogatory nickname for him and he narrows his eyes at her as he gets to his feet.

Rick quirks an eyebrow at Carol who looks back at him evenly, no laughter in her eyes but something…else. A challenge. He thinks for a few seconds about her words before he gets where she's going. It's been so long, he is rusty in just about every way a man can be rusty with the opposite sex. "Ma'am, I need you to step forward and turn around placing your hands on the bench." He puts his own hands on his hips waiting to see if he's read her correctly.

He has, she lowers her eyes as she steps down turning around, "Yes Officer, did I do something wrong?" He swears there is a quiver in her voice. A quiver of anticipation.

"Just put your hands on the bench Ma'am. We need to check you for illegal substances." Carol looks over her shoulder at him as she places both palms flat on the bench. She widens her legs as well swishing her arse side to side at Rick as she does so.

"Is this okay Officer?" He is positive she is almost salivating in need. Shaking his head and motioning for her to face forward he grins like mad. Who knew his Carol was kinky? Shaking his head again Rick steps forward so Carol can feel him behind her. He brushes his chest against her back wishing he could have her naked but knowing he can't. Not here, not now. But he will have the panties off. So he slides his hands in her hair, ruffling it has he strokes almost roughly over her scalp, dragging his nails lightly. He feels her shiver. Sliding his hands down her shoulders and over her arms he goes all the way to her hands and taking them he moves them to the edge of the bench making sure she grips it tightly.

"No moving now Ma'am, you need to stay completely still, no matter what. Do you understand me now?" He stills behind her waiting for her answer.

"Yes Officer, I will obey you and stay completely still, no matter what." She glances over her shoulder at him as she speaks. There is such anticipation in her eyes that Rick feels himself hardening again from it alone. Fuck. She's going to kill him, he just knows it. He's going to fucking die from a hard on for this woman.

"Good woman. Now I'm just going to remove these so I can make sure you're not hiding anything in them." So saying he slips her panties down her legs and steps her out of them. He can smell her on them. Rich and female. He deliberately drops them on the bench in front of Carol so she can see them, smell them. "Spread your legs for me, that's it. Wider now." He moves his feet in between Carol's widening her legs so she is completely open to him, at his mercy. He hears the faintest of groans come from her and smiles to himself.

While he wants to delay, tease her he knows he can't, Glenn and Maggie use the guard tower regularly, they all know it but he doesn't want to use it with Carol beyond tonight. And the first time he enters her he wants to be horizontal. But for now it will do. It's perfect actually. He leans in again brushing his chest against Carol's back wishing they were both naked and then lightly places his hands on her hips. She doesn't have much shape anywhere except her backside and fuck but it's delectable. It's small, shapely and pert. It reminds him of a cheerleader's arse he thinks as he strokes his fingers over it lightly. He knows he wants in there too. Carol shivers under his touch as Rick slides his fingers down her crease again.

Kneeling down he presses an open-mouthed kiss to a cheek as his arms sweep around her hips to hug her to him. Carol presses back against him on a groan Rick himself echoes. "Turn around for me now, let me see you're not hiding anything in this sweet little pussy of yours." His voice has deepened and dropped, becoming husky in need. Rick looks up at Carol as she turns around and looks down at him. He spreads his knees between her legs making them widen again and then he simply brushes his hands over her curls. Like her head they're threaded with grey, coarser though but no less attractive. Wondering what else Carol is into Rick decides to test the waters so without warning he slides his fingers into her hair and pulls on it. Carol's head drops back again as she shudders in front of Rick.

Rick put's both hands on Carol using his thumbs to spread her lips exposing her clitoris to the air and his gaze. He can't see very well but the pungent aroma of aroused female hits his nostrils quickly and he cannot tease Carol or himself any longer. He moves his head forward and licks her. Once from as far down as he could reach up to her clit where he circles it before moving back down again, this time letting his tongue go further until it's wiggling against her arsehole as well. A gasp comes from Carol and Rick feels her widen her legs further so he can reach her there with ease. Rick cannot help but groan as he buries his face in her. Carol's smell surrounds him, his nose, his entire face is covered in her juices. His tongue lashes at her as he leans his forearms on her hips to hold her still against the bench as she cannot stop herself from moving on him as her gasps continue, the more he moves his tongue, the more she gasps. Until finally her hands cannot help moving to his hair, dragging him up to her clit where she pushes against him as hard as his braced forearms will let her. Rick grabs one of her hands from his head without stopping his tongue as it flicks relentlessly on Carol's clit and he pushes it behind her, sliding it between the cheeks of her backside. His mouth stops working briefly as he says hoarsely "Touch yourself for me."

Carol doesn't hesitate to obey him in this, sliding two fingers into her pussy to capture juices and Rick's spit before she hitches her hip and then pushes them into her arse. Rick pushes three fingers into her at the same time rubbing briefly alongside Carol's fingers before he starts thrusting them in and out slowly. His tongue returns to Carol's clit, slower this time, circling it slowly, flicking at it occasionally. He's searching for something inside her, he doesn't want her to come until he…there it is. She both flinches and clenches down on him as he finds her g-spot. Rick starts to move his fingers on it repeatedly as his tongue speeds up on her clit. Kissing it as if he was kissing her mouth.

He feels Carol clenching on him harder and harder as he feels her clit harden in his mouth and then her pussy starts to spasm around his fingers beautifully as her clit dances on his tongue much the same way. The sounds she is making are delightful, the smallest sighs, whimpers and whines are coming from her mouth. He can feel her fingers working in her arse as she comes for him. He doesn't stop moving until he feels her fingers in her backside still. Then he simply gives her clit one last swipe with his tongue before he withdraws, leaning instead against her stomach as he breathes heavily, catching his breath as she is.

Minutes later he slowly pulls his fingers out of her and places them in his mouth to lick clean as he stands to look at her. She is doing the same with the finger's she'd had in her backside. Rick grabs her wrist quickly with his other hand stopping her. Carol raises an eyebrow at him as he continues to lick his other fingers clean. Then he leans in and takes her fingers in his mouth cleaning them of her as well. He watches her eyes widen and her pupils flare in arousal again knowing his have done the same. Before he can say anything however she steps forward removing her fingers from his mouth and replaces them with her lips. The kiss hungrily both becoming aroused again before Carol pulls away. "We can't, I want to but we can't."

"I know, I want to as well." Rick rests his forehead on Carol's as they breathe each other's air, smell each other's arousal. He pulls away reluctantly "You'd better get dressed woman before someone out for some air gets an eyeful." He slaps a hand against her bare backside as he says this.

Carol has grabbed his cock before he knows what she is doing. She holds Rick firmly before giving him a quick yank saying "You too, old man." She lets him go with a laugh stepping back as Rick frowns at her. She has stepped into her panties and drawn them up her legs settling them on her hips before noticing he hasn't moved. "What?" She asks as she bends down to grab her pants and step into them. She pulls them up, zips and buttons them and is buckling the belt before she realises Rick is still staring at her. She stops, her hands on the buckle before she does it up, "What?" She asks again.

"I, I don't know how old I am. I don't know how old Carl is." Ricks words drop like stones on their mood. He is panicking now, he can't remember how long it's been since Jude was even born. None of them keep track of things like this anymore. It wasn't important. The longer things went on and they realised that they were never going to be rescued, keeping track of the date was more trouble than it was worth, especially since new calendars weren't being made and your survival was measured in the use of things you kept in your pack. Suddenly he feels hands on his face and a soft voice calling him.

"Rick, it's okay that you don't know, none of us do. It's okay now come on, sit down for a bit." Carol leads him to the chair in the room pushing him down on it. Before he can do or say anything else she has tucked him back in his pants and buttoned and zipped them before buckling Rick's belt and then her own. Then she simply settles on Rick's lap. His arms wrap around her tightly, he's so very thankful he can do it openly now. Or at least he thinks he can. He leans his head back as he loosens his hold a bit to look up at her.

"Much as I like the idea of privacy, I don't want to hide us." He pauses for a few seconds watching Carol watching him. "I'm hoping you feel the same way, you know that you want us to continue as a couple now like Merle and Michonne, Glenn and Maggie?" He stops talking waiting for Carol's answer.

Her answer when it comes is breathtaking "I've wanted that Rick since the first time I saw you I think." She says no more simply leaning her head down on his shoulder. Rick feels questions rolling around in his brain. She can't possibly mean that. He's responsible for the death of her daughter. Sophia would still be alive if he hadn't left her by the stream. "Stop it." Her words are firm causing him to lose his train of thought. Then she is kissing him. Her tongue winding into his mouth lazily like she has a right to be there, which Rick thinks she does. No one else will ever have that right. They continue on like that losing track of time.

They're brought back to their senses by Glenn and Maggie coming up the stairs. They stand and move apart gathering their weapons and handing over watch without either of them noticing anything. They walk inside slowly, not touching but their bodies brushing occasionally as they walk side-by-side. The cell block is dark, a lantern left on the table so they can get to bed without falling over anything. Rick see's Carol to her cell stopping in the doorway. "Tomorrow, we'll sort everything out on the trip?" She smiles that smile at him again before kissing him one more time. As he walks away she calls out to him softly though Rick turns to find Carol disrobing in front of him. He stands there with the lantern held by his side watching hungrily as her body is fully revealed to him in the low light. When she stands naked Carol smiles blowing him a kiss before getting into bed.

Shaking his head Rick heads to his own cell stripping down as well before getting into bed. Faintly he hears her chuckle as she says quietly "Guess you won't need that towel tonight, pity, I always liked listening to you." Smearing a hand over his face at that sentence Rick grins himself to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Rick and Carol travel companionably together. They've travelled for a few hours on their way to the town where Michonne had discovered the soaps and where they'd discovered the un-looted pharmacy. Carol had sat with her back to the door simply looking at Rick as they drove, enjoying that she could look at him to her heart's content now. Rick for the most part smiled at her every few minutes while keeping his eyes on the road. "I got some condoms." He finally breaks their comfortable silence saying something he'd wanted to say since he'd gotten in the truck with her this morning. He looks over at her only to find for the first time since they'd started travelling she isn't looking back. She has looked off into the distance and she's not smiling anymore.

Taking a deep breath she looks back at him, still not smiling but with a calm at peace look in her eyes. Rick frowns at her. Before he can say anything however she speaks. "We don't need them, Ed made me have my tubes tied after Sophia was born, said he wasn't going to be lumbered with more than one child." She speaks slowly and calmly as she says this to Rick. She knows he's will be furious, she's furious now too. Furious at herself for allowing her second chance at happiness to be taken away by Ed, he's been dead for three years and even now he's still finding ways to control her. Shaking her head Carol leans over all of a sudden laying her head down on Rick's thigh. She rubs her cheek on his flexing muscle placing her hand on his knee. Rick takes a hand off the wheel stroking it through her hair, down her neck, over her shoulder and down her waist before he rests it on the curve of her hip. He can't stop, they're following Merle and Michonne. Carol lies quietly with her eyes closed, smiling again and enjoying his touch.

Rick doesn't know what to say and then he realises he doesn't need to say anything. There is nothing they can do about it. He strokes his hand over her hip before taking her hand and holding it. They drive like that for a little while longer before Carol pulls her legs up and rolls to her back still holding Rick's hand. Then looking up at him and waiting until he looks down at her she takes his hand and drags it down to her pussy, pushing under her clothes so Rick feels her pubic hair on his palm. He groans when she pushes his fingers inside her and he feels how wet she is. He can't stop himself from leaning over and delving further into her causing her to mewl and spread her legs as much as she can in the confines of the truck cab. Rick can't watch her respond to him, he has to keep his eyes on the road. But God she is wet, wet for him he thinks. He never thought she'd like and want him, but she does. He plays his fingers over her clit, slides them in small circles driving her crazy and she moans for him again. He's loving the sounds she makes. "Play with your nipples for me, I want you to do that while I make you come." He can see out of the corner of his eye that she is complying with his request, pulling her loose shirts up and pushing her bra down making her breasts poke up impudently. Her nipples are already hard. She raises a hand to his mouth pushing in her fingers and he knows instinctively he has to wet them for her. Then she brings her saliva-covered fingers back and places them on her right nipple.

Rick risks a glance down to see his spit on her nipple as she strokes it. His cock is pushing against his jeans insistently. He looks back up the road again. He can't keep looking at Carol, as much as he wants to. He leans over a little more and hears Carol inhale deeply. "What?" He asks without looking down, continuing to move his fingers over her clit.

"Nothing, just like your smell." He smiles at her admission. He loves her smell. He circles his fingers a little faster around her clit, still barely touching it, ghosting over it each time, then when he feels her hips move up a little he firmly slides his fingers over it, again and again. Getting a little firmer each time he does. He hears Carol moan again and can see both her hands touching her nipples now, pinching and pulling at them. And then he feels her clit jerk under his fingers as it starts pulsing uncontrollably. And a deep groan is pulled from Carol as her back arches off the seat exposing her neck. Rick wants to suck on her neck and leave a mark there, like Michonne does to Merle. Week after week no sooner has one mark faded than she puts another one on him. Merle wears them with pride. Rick would wear anything Carol put on him with pride too. He stops moving his fingers when he feels Carol take hold of his wrist, stilling him. He slowly drags himself away from her warmth, sliding his fingers up her stomach, tweaking a nipple on the way past and stroking them over her face. But before she can take his fingers in her mouth he lifts them to his own, sliding them in and licking her off him. Slowly and thoroughly. He hears Carol's in drawn breath as he does so but merely flicks a quick gaze down at her. She adjusts her clothing and sits up reaching for his jeans but he drops his hand forestalling her.

"No, I don't want to come until I can come inside you, tonight." He looks over at her, his eyes are heavy-lidded with arousal and hers flare in return. But she nods. And leans back against the door again continuing to look at him. She is smiling again.

"Want to move in together when we get back?" She asks the question evenly and without inflection. Rick looks over at her for a few seconds before looking back at the road.

"I thought you'd never ask." He doesn't say anything more, he doesn't need to. It is enough for now. 'You won't mind sharing with Judith as well?" He needs to check this though. Carol merely shakes her head. Rick nods in the affirmative again and they lapse back into their comfortable silence.

They pull up beside Merle and Michonne's truck an hour or so later. The all work together companionably filling the fuel drums. Rick and Carol take a look in the office of the gas station for anything useful. They load up some more mechanical items and take all the maps. Then they all drive across the street to the store and pharmacy that they'd checked last time too. This time they're looking at the back storerooms. No walkers, but evidence of death. They manage to fill the trucks again with what was left over in both storerooms. They push on toward the quarry, Merle saying they can get there before dark. And they do. It's a quiet out-of-the-way place. Completely surrounded by thick woods and a high wall made of sandstone which surprises Rick. He looks at it all carefully. Looks at the buildings while they all load up the vehicles. They're supposed to be taking a longer route back, exploring and taking a break at the same time. But suddenly Rick wants to stay here. This place looks like it could be a good back-up plan. He shakes his head as he realises it was why Merle had brought him here.

Looking over at him he shakes his head. Michonne catches his eye and raises an eyebrow in query but Rick just shakes his head again. "Could have just told me about this place you know Merle." He looks over at him as Merle stops and looks at him. He doesn't pretend not to understand.

"Wanted you to see it, see the potential." He goes back to loading salt without saying more.

"We'll need to scout the wall, see how far it goes, how secure it is." Merle merely nods.

"Figured we could split off in separate directions tomorrow, hike it. That'd be a more thorough check."

"Sounds good to me, you and Mich load this, Carol and I will check the buildings." Rick motions Carol with him and taking their weapons they start to do a full check of the buildings. They have potential. Great potential. And the land, some of it can be cleared for crops, the river running through guarantees water all the time. And from what he can see it's not overly prone to flooding. Or when it does it doesn't flood anywhere near the buildings on the property. What they clear for crops they can use to build cabins or add extensions to the buildings already here, or add rooms inside them. And they can scavenge from the town a few hours away. Rick starts to feel hope again. More than he has felt for some time. The prison is safe and secure now, but it is not a home.

He jerks and settles immediately as Carol winds her arms around him from behind. She rests her chin on his shoulder and leans against him. They stay like that for several minutes. "Come on, let's find a place to sleep." Carol lets go and grabs his hand as they walk toward the closest building. An office by the look of it.

"Daryl will like this." She speaks as they wander in and Rick knows she's right. Daryl will immediately claim it as his. And that's fine with him. But he wonders if Beth will like it. It's not large, but it is high up, airy with the windows though he imagines it'll be cold in winter. But they'll figure it out.

He can't help himself from asking "Should we christen it before he claims it?" He grins at Carol as she raises an eyebrow at him. Then she nods.

"We'll stay here then." She goes out leaving the door open and Rick follows. He'll follow her anywhere he thinks. She walks down the steps, lithe in her movements. Rick feels his cock harden in his jeans. Fuck, tonight can't come quick enough for him. He stands surveying the quarry. Where they'd mined seemed to be the only salt in the area, he was surprised the soil was in such good shape. Maybe the river had something to do with it? He shook his head heading down the steps as Carol called him. Merle and Michonne have moved the vehicles so they're not visible to anyone on the off-chance they wander in though finding this place would be hard at the best of times. In fact he realises that Merle and Michonne are going to have to lead Daryl back here to see it as well as Glenn and Maggie, he winces at that but then decides that they'll all have to live with it. He trusts Merle and Michonne not to do anything. He stops, frowning at that thought. He did trust Merle, not as much as Daryl or Glenn, but he did trust him. Enough to fight back to back with him he thought. Enough to live comfortably with him in this group. Besides, he appreciated his sense of humour even if most other's didn't.

The four of them scavenge the rest of the buildings. There is a lot of good stuff, a lot of crap as well. But they'll make do. With what they'll cart from the prison it'll make a very good home. If they vote to move that is. They find the employee's locker room and look through the lockers. Clothes they can all use. A surprising amount of condoms that Rick and Merle simply throw in a bag, they frown at each other both thinking the other should keep some. Merle breaks the silence "Mich, she had complications after her youngest was born," Rick's heart broke as he realised that Michonne and Merle wouldn't be having children as well as the fact that Michonne had had children that obviously hadn't survived. He nods.

"Ed made sure Carol couldn't have more after Sophia." He says no more but Merle's lip curls.

"Glad the fucker is dead." He says no more but Rick agrees with him. "Guess it'll be up to baby brother to see that the Dixon line continues on. And your son." He smiles at Rick before moving away. Rick realises he's figured out that Jude isn't his. He doesn't know how but he knows that Merle has figured it out.

Merle is searching another locker and lets out a hoot. "Fuckin' awesome." He says no more merely shoving the object he'd grabbed into his pocket. Rick shakes his head and they continue on with their looting. They eat as dusk falls and then go their separate ways. Rick and Carol walk up the steps to the office. He thinks about what they'd talked about on the drive between the town and here. Moving in together. He realises he'd forgotten to tell Carol he'd spoken to Carl this morning before they'd left. He walks in ahead of Carol to find she'd already been back and laid their bedding out, together. And she'd swept the room. He turns looking at her. Tall, skinny now but stronger than she's ever been he thinks. "I told Carl about us this morning before we left. Figured he should know I was planning on askin' you to move in with me, that we'd…be together when we got back." He pauses uncertain of her reaction, thinking she may have expected they tell Carl together.

"That's fine, I'm glad. How did he take it?" She questions as she takes off her boots and socks, sticking them in each boot as they've all learned from Daryl to do so bugs and shit don't get down in them overnight.

Rick steps up to her, stopping her from stripping anymore clothing off, he wants to do the rest himself. "He asked me what took us so long. Then he said that he never wanted to walk in on us having sex, he was scarred enough." Rick shakes his head as he slips Carol's top shirt off leaving her in a singlet and bra on her top half. She smells faintly of the soap she'd been using on her skin and perspiration as well as her own unique smell. It was something he wanted to smell forever. Until the day he died. He slides his hands around her waist bringing her up to his erection, pushing her pussy against him. She winds her arms around his neck as she does what they've both seen Michonne do dozens of times now, she steps onto Rick's boots making her more level with him. And then slides her hands up into his hair, winding through it, massaging his scalp before she then brings pressure to bear and pulls his head to her so they can kiss. It's not like last night, this time they don't hesitate, they push their tongues into each other's mouths immediately, mapping them again. Then Carol slides her mouth away kissing across Rick's cheek before she nips at his ear lobe causing him to shiver. Then she moves back across his cheek and down to his chin where she nips at it, taking the point into her mouth brushing her tongue though the cleft she can feel through his beard and then she kisses down to his neck.

Rick tilts his head back wondering if she's going to mark him, but the merely kisses and licks at his neck, down the side and then to the front, to his Adam's apple. There she stops. "Do you know how many times I've just wanted to walk up to you and kiss you right here?" She asks the question as she lays her lips directly on it, kissing it, laving it with her tongue.

"About as often as I've wanted to bite the back of your neck when I've seen it bent away from me, even when you're looking after my daughter, it doesn't stop me from wanting to take you like a rutting dog in heat." Rick's words cause a dam to break loose in him. He spins her around and yanks her remaining top off throwing it away as his hands unhook her bra and slide id down her arms. He grabs her hands before they can move anywhere and places them behind her, on his cock, thrusting at her palms as he does so. "Only me, you only touch me again until I say you can touch yourself. You don't come until I say you can come, your body is mine tonight beautiful, you got that?" He asks her this as he plays with her nipples, pinching and pulling them gently. His animal is about to be let loose, he wants Carol to know what she is in for. He knows he won't be able to stop himself tonight, they're away from everyone, no one will hear them make the sounds he wants to draw from her.

"Yes, yes I understand, you own me, I won't come until you tell me I can." Carol leans her head back against Rick's shoulder but before he can do anything else she continues. "I have no limits where you're concerned Rick, none." His hands falter on her breasts before he simply clasps them, using them to hug her to him. He drops his own head to her other shoulder pressing a kiss into it. Then he breathes, slow and steady trying to centre himself for her. He wants to tell her this before they go any further. He stops touching her and steps back moving so he is standing in front of her.

"I love you Carol, do you understand me? I'm in love with you. I want no one else but you." He stops waiting for her to respond.

She steps into Rick's embrace with a smile. "Love you too, forever. However long that is." They stand like that for a long time, darkness settles in full around them.

Rick stirs against her over time, his cock hardening in his jeans. Carol pushes her thigh against it but still they stand. The call of a bird in the darkness rouses them and they pull apart. Rick pushes Carol's trousers and panties down her legs until they pool at her feet and she steps out of them. Then he stands and starts unbuttoning his own shirt. Carol kneels in front of him and letting him balance by holding her shoulder she slides off first one boot taking the sock too and then the second boot.

When Rick is naked she leans in inhaling as she did earlier today. She smiles up at him before she simply takes his cock in her mouth, sliding her tongue over it slowly and lightly like a feather. He cannot help but groan letting his head fall back as he fists his hands in Carol's hair. He sees her smile up at him before the focuses on what she is doing to him. To the pleasure she is giving him.

Rick pulls himself out of her mouth, he wants to come, but he won't do that until he is inside the warmth of the woman kneeling at his feet. He kneels down as well taking her mouth as he pushes her back on their bedding. Thoughts swirl in his head, Carol's smell intoxicates him, he is drunk on her, nothing but her remains in his consciousness. Carol's body, her heart, her soul surround him until he feels bound to this earth by her and her alone. Nothing else matter's except the woman underneath him.

Carol pulls his cock to her, inside her. Rick goes slowly his mind consumed with the heat and wetness of her. He cannot help the groan that she causes when she clenches her muscles on him as he continues to slide into her. When Carol's neck tilts back in an unconscious invitation Rick takes her offer leaning down and opening his mouth on her fluttering pulse he simply sucks, deliberately marking Carol for other's to see. It doesn't matter that the others are Merle and Michonne, it matter's that Carol is marked by him. They have no other way to do it anymore, no ceremonies, no marriage certificates, no wedding rings. Nothing official so a bite mark is as good as any other way of saying Carol is taken.

Then Carol moves her head taking hold of Rick's neck with her teeth and bites down as well sucking and laving his neck with her tongue. Rick moans this time as she begins to clench down on him. He is thrusting in her and she is answering his call. He feels his orgasm begin to draw his balls up as goose bumps cover his flesh and his toes curl in the pleasure of Carol, of what he is doing with her. He feels Carol's tremors begin but it is not until he has thrust her through one orgasm and into another that he allows himself to let go and release in her. He hears Carol moan as he comes and she wraps her arms and legs around him tightly as if she's never going to let him loose.

And Rick doesn't want her to. He stays snuggled to Carol and inside her as he becomes soft. It's only when he feels the cool air ghosting through the windows that he moves. Carol moves with him, they sprawl together and she leans up to grab a blanket to put over them. They snuggle together and Rick talks. He talks of the plans he has for the quarry if the rest of the group agree to move. He talks of the plans for recommencing Carl's schooling, saying that an educated child will be a rarity in the generations to come. And he talks of them. Together. A couple, a unit.

It is only when he's winding down that Carol speaks in turn. She talks of her plans as well. Plans that include Rick, Carl, Jude and the rest of the group. And she talks about Woodbury and how glad she is they'd never moved there.

Silence reigns eventually as they drift together. But it is a silence that is comfortable and aware, their need sated for a time is returning. And as Carol shifts on top of Rick she looks down at the man she thinks of as a hawk at times, a predator all the time. He is hers, they will survive.

_A/N – Thank you to all the readers who have followed and reviewed Threaded With Grey. This story is a companion piece to Black Beauty and both will be companion pieces to a third installment that will be the story of Daryl and Beth. I will not however be publishing it until I have finished Walking Dead Hook-Ups. I'm also writing another multi-chapter story called Young Mac based on Norman Reedus' character Mac in the movie Red Canyon. Before you go looking at that if you decide to (and this is not a hint for you to do so), please be warned it is extremely explicit and dark in the extreme. If you've seen Red Canyon you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. I'm also working on some Fast and Furious one-shots as well as a Red Canyon/Walking Dead crossover of Mac and Shane. Yes, I'm going there. Once again thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed and followed Threaded With Grey. I enjoyed giving Rick and Carol a story. And I appreciate everyone who liked my pairing of them. _


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